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Best Known For
Siouxsie Sioux is best known as the lead singer of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees, whose most popular singles include "Peek-A-Boo," "Cities in Dust," "The Killing Jar" and "Kiss Them For Me."
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Play NowSiouxsie Sioux. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:23, Jun 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808.
Siouxsie Sioux. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808 [Accessed 19 Jun 2013].
"Siouxsie Sioux." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 19 2013, 04:23 http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808.
"Siouxsie Sioux," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808 [accessed Jun 19, 2013].
"Siouxsie Sioux," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808 (accessed Jun 19, 2013).
Siouxsie Sioux [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808.
Siouxsie Sioux, http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808 (last visited Jun 19, 2013).
Siouxsie Sioux. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/siouxsie-sioux-17178808. Accessed Jun 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Siouxsie Sioux was born May 27, 1957 in Bromley, England. In the mid-1970s, Sioux became part of a group of young punk rockers known as The Bromley Contingent—rabid Sex Pistols fans known for their provocative clothing and public antics. She went on to become the lead singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees, whose most popular singles include "Peek-A-Boo," "Cities in Dust," "The Killing Jar," "Fear (of the Unknown)" and "Kiss Them For Me,
Quotes
"You can't take anything like that seriously. I mean, sex is pretty hilarious anyway."
" the band's only song to crack the U.S. Top 40. After the Banshees split in the mid-1990s. Sioux began collaborating with other musicians, and then worked as a solo artist.
Early Life
Siouxsie Sioux was born as Susan Janet Ballion on May 27, 1957 in Bromley, Kent, England. Her father was a successful scientist, but was also an alcoholic, and died of cirrhosis of the liver when Sioux was only 14 years old. As a result, Sioux was raised primarily by her mother, a secretary. Sioux recalled that her mother "went out to work at a time when I didn't know anyone else's mum who wasn't at home. I had a great teacher there, and I've had to remember that." Sioux added, "she was the odd-job man, too, changing fuses, painting, doing the gardening. My dad was there, but not functioning."
As much as she admired her mother, growing up with one working parent meant that young Sioux endured a very lonely childhood. "I was left on my own a lot because my mother had to go out to work and there was no one else at home," she remembered. "From an early age I didn't like people very much ... I used to talk to myself a lot and practice being Bette Davis on the stairs. I'd wear my mother's stilettos and use a white pencil as a cigarette—I remember learning to smoke just like Bette Davis. I must've been a little bit looney when I was young, but I was quite happy being left to my own devices."
Siouxsie and the Banshees
By the time she was 18 years old, in 1975, Sioux had become part of a group of young punk rockers known as The Bromley Contingent—rabid Sex Pistols fans known for their provocative clothing and public antics. In September 1976, Sioux, serving as lead singer and songwriter, formed a band with fellow Bromley Contingent members Steven Severin (bass), Marco Perroni (guitar) and Sid Vicious (drums). Calling themselves Siouxsie and the Banshees, the band made their debut at London's 100 Club soon after, with a performance that consisted entirely of a 20-minute rendition of The Lord's Prayer.
Several months later, on December 1, 1976, Sioux appeared with the Sex Pistols on ITV's Today Show, hosted by Bill Grundy. Sioux's coy flirting with Grundy—and Grundy's lewd response—prompted members of the Sex Pistols to hurl obscenities at him in an infamous exchange that simultaneously marked downfall of Grundy's career and the ascent of Sioux's.
After some reshuffling in 1978, in which Sid Vicious and Marco Perroni left the band to be replaced by Kenny Morris and John McKay, Siouxsie and the Banshees released their debut single, "Hong Kong Garden," which reached No.
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Women of Punk and Post Punk Music
View groupThe DIY aspect of punk rock made it easier for a woman such as Siouxsie Sioux, Deborah Harry, Marianne Faithfull and Kim Deal to find a place in music. "That was the beuty of the punk thing," Chrissie Hynde later said. "[Sexual] discrimination didn't exist in that scene."
Women of Punk and Post Punk Music 9 people in this group
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View groupWhen musicians land big fame, there typically comes a moment of reinvention in which the "rock star" identity is born. This new persona often requires a new name, a way to differentiate between the private and public versions of themselves. Musical monikers take different forms, from the simple, last-name changes aimed at boosting celebrity appeal—like Steven Tyler—to the glamorized version of a childhood nickname—like Jay-Z. Musicians' nicknames and aliases tend to take on an identity all their own over time, often becoming as full of personality as the artists they represent.
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View groupIn entertainment, where the line between fiction and reality is often blurry, names are a crucial part of a celebrity's image. Stage names are often chosen to make an actor or musician's name easier to pronounce or remember, or simply to make it sounds more attractive. Here are famous celebrities who have changed their names.
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